Chapter 282: Flames of Ascent

…I see, so that’s what they’re like.

Claudia’s feeling of guilt for making the royal knights carry the luggage disappeared upon arrival in the village.

Upon reaching the village and exchanging brief greetings with the priest and the village chief, the Fourth Knight Order gathered in the central square and set down their heavy backpacks. Then, to Claudia’s surprise, they all took out alcohol from their backpacks, laughing as they did so. Without exception, and without any distinction between knights and attendants, alcohol came out of everyone’s backpacks!

“…Huh?”

Claudia was left speechless, her mouth agape. Their feet were unstable, and the armor and luggage were heavy. How much easier would it have been without alcohol? Such sensible thoughts didn’t apply to them.

Of course, they hadn’t forgotten essentials like oil and food. However, alcohol occupied about a third of the backpacks.

They began gathering firewood in the square. Apparently, they intended to gather around a campfire here, drinking alcohol and spending the night.

They were exasperating fellows. But, looking at the outcome alone, it turned out to be the best possible scenario.

There was the problem of where to accommodate over a hundred knights and attendants. There was even the possibility of kicking the villagers out of their homes and asking them to sleep outside for a while. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for them to think that way since they were nobles who had come to save the village.

Regardless of the circumstances, they hadn’t made unreasonable demands. This was greatly appreciated.

Victor forbade the knights from causing trouble in the village because he was a rough but straightforward man, and there was another reason. It was his rivalry with Leonard.

The villagers revered Leonard as if he were a god. In such an environment, what would happen if Victor and the Fourth Knight Order, who had arrived in the form of a successor, treated the villagers disrespectfully?

“If Leonard-sama were here, he wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“If Leonard-sama were still alive.”

“If Leonard-sama…”

He would be compared and belittled at every turn. That was something he couldn’t tolerate.

Leonard had protected the village, and Victor had resolved everything perfectly. That’s how he wanted to be seen as guardian deities. That’s how his pride would be preserved. So, to ensure this, Victor gently urged the knights to behave well in the village, and he even promised the young ones that he would treat them to lewd establishments once they returned to the capital.

He had to go as far as to say that to the commander, and the knights understood that breaking it would have consequences.

As preparations for the night camp or banquet progressed steadily, Lutz and Josel were about to take the oil barrels and head into the forest. Each carried two small barrels, about the size of a human head, on their backs. It was to burn the giant human corpses that had been parasitized by the parasitic mushrooms.

While they were about to discreetly depart so as not to dampen the festive mood, Victor appeared behind them, seemingly out of nowhere, and spoke up.

“Hey, you guys look like you’re getting ready for a big showdown just to take a leak.”

“Victor-sama…”

“Where are you going?”

Lutz and Josel glanced at each other and decided to honestly tell him, as trying to deceive him would only complicate matters.

“…So we’re going to burn the corpse. Please rest and prepare for tomorrow, Victor-sama.”

Although he said it with consideration, Victor snorted as if to say it was unnecessary.

“If that’s the case, I’ll go too.”

“But, um…”

“But what? Is there a problem? Don’t you want me to know who we’ll be fighting tomorrow? Or what happens to the parasitized ones?”

Having been told so, refusing would be rather rude. Josel was surprised at how enthusiastic the field commander was.

To be honest, Lutz and Josel were planning to go alone partly because they felt guilty about killing civilians, and partly to erase the evidence. But if they thought about the information that might be contained in the corpse, that might have been a bad move.

“Understood, I’ll guide you.”

And so, the three of them headed into the dreaded forest.

It was a terrible experience, one they didn’t want to remember. And yet, they remembered the path clearly.

The first thing they found was the corpse of a giant human lying face down. Josel’s chest hurt just like where he had stabbed it.

The stench of rotten blood and pus mixed together, which even Victor, who was accustomed to horrifying scenes on the battlefield, wrinkled his nose at, momentarily regretting coming here.

…Is this a challenge to the gods, or a desecration of human dignity?

Swatting away the swarming flies, Victor approached the corpse.

“You peeled the skin off the orcs to check, right?”

“Yes.”

After Lutz gave a brief answer, Victor muttered “sorry” under his breath and then drew his “Mighty Sword” from his waist.

Cutting the skin in a circular motion and flipping it up with the tip. The exposed muscles were halfway rotten, but the mycelium that had absorbed nutrients was firmly rooted and vigorous.

Victor stepped away from the corpse with a grim expression.

“So these mycelium swell up and forcibly enlarge the bodies of humans and orcs?”

“…It seems so.”

“I’m sorry for asking to come with you. Thanks to you, I understand clearly why we must fight. We can’t tolerate the existence of this thing. It may sound exaggerated, but this mushroom is not just an enemy of the kingdom, but of humanity itself.”

Victor glanced at the corpse once more, then shook his head sorrowfully.

“That’s enough, send it off.”

Lutz and Josel nodded and took out flints from their backpacks. They struck them repeatedly to ignite the tinder. Blowing gently, they gradually increased the size of the fire.

Perhaps because its purpose was predetermined, Claudia seemed to have prepared good oil. They sprinkled the oil on the corpse, lit the tinder, and soon the entire thing was ablaze.

A person burning, a human corpse burning. Enduring the unique foul smell of burning flesh, the three of them watched the flames intently.

“Can we consider them liberated…?”

“Who knows. At the very least, I don’t want to end up like this, and I’d be grateful if someone burned me like this after such a death.”

They burned the remaining two corpses using the same procedure, confirmed they had turned to ashes, and then left the forest.

The sun was setting and it was getting dark. Lutz and Josel were sighing and trying to take off their masks, so Victor slapped them on the shoulder and pulled them towards him.

“Alright, let’s go back. Let’s drink when we get back. I won’t tell you to forget, but let’s switch gears. Drink, eat, sleep, and when morning comes, we’ll raid the orc settlement.”

With a hearty laugh, Victor walked ahead.

Lutz nodded with a faint smile, thinking that soldiers led by him would surely be strong.

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